Son of Erebus
by BrokenByMagic
Summary: Thomas Henry has been, for as long as he can remember, just your average kid. Well, except for the minor detail that he has been blind for... a long time. And it turns out, there might be more to him than he ever thought there was
1. Thomas Henry

Thomas Henry had never been the quickest thinking guy in his school or the best looking or even the most academically or athletically talented. He was just Thomas Henry, the normal kid, nothing overly exciting ever happened to him except for that one time all of Manhattan fell asleep except for him, that had just been creepy.

So when he was approached by a cranky goat dude he got a little freaked out. Which, looking back…WAS TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE thank you very much.

Actually, to be honest, he hadn't even known his cranky bus companion was different until he had started quietly telling Thomas that they had to get off the bus at the next stop for his own safety.

He told him about a camp for kids who were different than others that his father had already agreed to let him come. He had been leading him off the bus a little too roughly when Thomas fell, sunglasses going flying and on his knees in the isle of the bus.

"Great, just what I needed." He muttered as he tried to get up and found a hand reaching down to help him up.

"Thanks, do you see my glasses?" He heard a sigh of annoyance before his sunglasses were handed to him.

See, he was just your average Thomas Henry, blind guy extraordinaire.

Who was internally freaking out. During his fumbling to get up he had accidently touched the guy's leg and jeans or no jeans, legs just weren't shaped that way. Knees just didn't work like that.

When they got off the bus he sighed in relief along with his partner though he couldn't claim to not be uber confused when the guy muttered something about, "Good, looks like you weren't important enough for them to attack."

"Ok so I go off the bus, what now? Where are we anyways?" He pretended to look around but was quite aware that he indeed could only see nothing.

There was a weird huffing noise from the guy, "We're almost at the camp, and so that's what's next."

Thomas nodded, frowning. Ok, now time to get rid of his pride. "Ok so how far and through what? Because I REALLY don't feel like going through any woods right now…"

There was silence, "Are you blind or just that lazy? I mean vie only been assigned as your Guardian for a week so I haven't really figured it out yet but you're always wearing those stupid glasses and you hardly ever look anywhere and people are always doing whatever you ask them to. So, are you blind or lazy that you can't even be bothered to look to your left and see the hill?"

Thomas smiled, "I'm blind actually, yeah. Good guess." Thomas frowned, "Wait, I thought that was what this camp was all about, dad is always sending me places to get better acquainted with not seeing and you said for people like me so… what we are going to again?"

"Camp Half-blood." The guy's voice was quieter, guilty sounding now.

Thomas smiled in confusion, "Is this one of those times when I'm just supposed to magically know what you're talking about?"

"It'll be explained to you when we get there. Come on." He felt a guiding hand on his arm as he was led up the hill, much slower than before thankfully.

He heard people rushing up to them, "Whellynn! Is he hurt? What's going on?"

He listened as Grumpy (Whellynn) explained to the pretty sounding girl and whoever else had rushed over that Thomas was, in fact blind. Whoops.

He offered a little smile to the people he assumed were in front of them.

Sure enough, he was taken to a big house and explained everything by some guy they all reverently called Chiron, a name that sounded woefully familiar to Thomas. They weren't exactly the quietest people as they explained, rushing to explain, adding things in that they deemed important that someone had left out.

His focus cleared and he suddenly remembered that Chiron was a centaur who had taught heroes in Greek mythology and as they were explaining he stepped in, "So let me get this straight, I've been abducted to a Greek camp taught by a centaur and other heroes of Greek mythology like the gods and all that business, so I'm guessing I have something to do with them… you said camp half-bloods so… Half-bloods. Am I a half-god?"

There was silence and his focus began to dim.

"Well… Yeah."

Thomas nodded slowly, "Great, can I go home now?"

"Wha- what?"

Thomas stood, "Well clearly this camp is full of psychopaths. I can hear metal on metal, fighting, Greek and… things in the woods to the north." There was a distant explosion, which he pointed to, "And that. I'm sorry, as much fun as I'm sure it would be to hang out here, I really don't think that this is the best place for a blind guy."

He started wondering away from them all before turning back, "If someone could either take me back home or at least give me directions, that'd be great by the way."

Grump sighed and was about to speak when the pretty voiced girl butted in, "You can't leave until you can figure out how to get out on your own."

Thomas scowled, "Seriously? I think that really does border on kidnapping now."

She sighed, "Look, it's for your own protection, I swear."

He sighed, "Yeah whatever, it's not like I can just up and walk away now huh?"

She laughed quietly, "No, not really."

Sometimes he really hated being blind.


	2. Pity Case

Thomas sighed in frustration as he woke to darkness which is no big change to him to be honest but never pleasant either way. He groaned quietly as he remembered he was still stuck at the camp of crazies with swords and bows and centaurs. And goat people which, still really freaked him out.

Feeling around for the stick he had been so kindly offered to feel around in the unfamiliar area he couldn't help but think it would all be so much easier to not be frustrated with the whole situation if he could actually do anything.

Not paying attention, Thomas accidently smacked one of the Hermes kids in the face while continuing his search for the darned stick, "Ouch!"

Thomas froze, startled at the sudden voice beside him, "Sorry man, completely my fault. Just trying to find my…. Walking stick."

Ugh he sounded so stupid and helpless and all too frustrating.

The Hermes kid, pretty sure he said his name was Richard, sighed and shook his head (not like Thomas could see) before reaching for something (also couldn't see this) and grabbed his stick from the floor where it had apparently fell (also, could not see) and handed it Thomas.

Thomas grabbed his stick and stood unsteadily, trying to be sure he didn't accidently injure anyone else on his quest to get out and slowly made his way out the door of the Hermes house.

Almost immediately after leaving the cabin however, he was greeted by Goat-Man (Grump (Whellynn)) who was less Grumpy after making it back to Camp Who-Ha, "Thomas, another day trying to figure out how to get home then?"

Thomas merely marched onward slowly, making his way in the general direction of where he knew the mess hall was where he knew it was still too early for most people to be at.

Whellynn chuckled quietly, "Kinda hard to figure out what you're doing if you don't say anything Thomas."

"Then if I don't say anything then you'll go away?"

Whellynn laughed, "I'm afraid you aren't that lucky. Chiron's given me strict instructions to keep an eye on you until you are either Determined or you figure a way out and then I have to make sure you keep on living if that happens."

Thomas sighed and stopped walking, "So I'm a pity case, great."

Whellynn froze, "Wait, no- that's not what I meant- well it is- but no- I mean yeah you're blind but- no. you're not a pity case."

Thomas shook his head in frustration and began to walk again. He heard Whellynn sigh behind him and then the weird clopping sound that meant Whellynn was following him again.

After walking for a good five minutes in silence Thomas threw up his hands and turned towards Whellynn, "Am I even going in the right direction to the mess hall?"

Whellynn hesitated, "You're off about," He adjusted Thomas's direction, "that off."

Thomas nodded grimly, "So I passed it, at least I had the direction down…"

Whellynn led him in and once seated asked one of Thomas's least favorite questions, "So… How long have you been blind?"

Thomas's spoon of Lucky Charms stopped halfway to his mouth, "What?"

Whellynn cleared his throat awkwardly, "You don't act like you've been blind for very long so… I was wondering…"

Thomas sighed and lowered his spoon, "About seven years actually."

He could only imagine the amazed blinking as Whellynn thought to himself that surely after seven years of dealing with it he should be better at being blind than he really was, "How?"

Thomas thought long and hard about his answer before he said, "Actually, I have no clue…."


	3. Human Enough

Thomas seated himself at the Hermes table with a sigh, listening intently for the sounds of people talking and finding, to his immense relief, that most of the camp had yet to wake except for the select few such as Grump (Whellynn) and the strange few who enjoyed waking early.

He frowned at the table and ate quietly, not bothering to make an offering to the "gods" (A matter Whellynn found dangerously stupid) since he had no intention of believing any of it in the first place.

"I'm telling you, I'm not a half blood."

Whellynn laughed softly, "So you keep saying but that doesn't change the fact that you are."

Thomas sighed and shook his head wearily, finishing before most of the camp had arrived and making an escape from the room as soon as he was.

Whellynn hummed quietly from behind him, casually keeping pace with him and utterly frustrating him in the process. The man just didn't know what to stop and it was driving Thomas mad.

He groaned again and came to abrupt stop, "Can't you at least point me in the right direction?"

He heard a slight chuckle and the shifting of hooves, "Technically any direction is the right way out if you don't mind the possibility of drowning, dying, burning or crying."

Thomas frowned, "Crying?"

There was a laugh, "IF you live through the worst of it without having gone through training you'll want to cry for joy otherwise…."

He shook his head, "Could you point me in the right direction of the Hill then?"

Grump (Who was annoyingly chipper this morning) shook his head and let out a loud, "Nope." Popping the p to annoy the boy before him.

He rubbed at his hair in frustration, feeling both helpless and annoyed, a combination he had grown all too familiar with in the last seven years, "Look, Whellynn was it? You yourself said that I am not important, so why not let me go? What's the point really? I'm just a poor blind guy who was adopted by a man who honestly has no clue what he's doing, why does it matter so much that I stay here?"

Whellynn chuckled, "Because one, there's something weird about you, something I can't really place but whatever it is, it attracts monsters like crazy though for some reason they never attack. Two, your dad put you in our care and three, we have to figure out who your godly parent is which, mind you, has just been made that much more difficult now that I know you're adopted.

Thomas scowled and shook his head, "You're looking for a father. My mother was human, that much I know all too well."

Whellynn fell silent, "You were adopted but…. You knew your mother?"

Thomas's face grew cold and the air around him grew cold and biting, "She was human…. But monster enough."

He turned on his heel and walked quickly in the direction he had found himself, wishing only that he had better luck this time.

" _Thomas, honey, what are you doing?" Thomas looked up in surprise at his mother who was gazing down at him in concern as he looked up at the Christmas lights on the tree._

 _The lights were blinking on and off, red and green, and then suddenly dark only to shine again though in truth they were not blinking lights and were meant to keep shining. Thomas looked up at the lights and shrugged, "I don't know…"_

 _She frowned slightly at the little boy and sighed, "Come here baby, you need to go to bed."_

 _Thomas stood readily and followed her quietly, dragging the black cat stuffed animal his father had apparently sent him when he had heard of his birth._

 _Thomas yawned tiredly and followed his mother, wincing when she turned on his bedroom light, stinging his all too sensitive eyes. His mother cursed quietly and turned the light back off, "Sorry baby, I forgot the light hurts your eyes."_

 _He nodded understandingly, hugging his cat close and crawling into bed, completely at home in the darkness of his room even as his mother cursed again, stubbing her toe on the table next to her bed._

 _Thomas frowned, "sorry momma…."_

 _She sighed tiredly, "I know baby. It's not your fault…"_

 _He nodded quietly, not believing her words for indeed there was little sincerity or care in her voice. Her words themselves were nice but the woman behind them, he knew, hated him._

 _Even as a little child, at only nine years old, he knew he was hated but he also knew he wanted little else than to be loved by the only woman who cared for him._

 _He clutched the stuffed animal again, shivering as she gave up trying to cross the room and instead walked out, closing the door loudly with a huff. He began to cry quietly, into the silky cloth of the dark animal._

 _She had tried to ween him off of it and, indeed, he didn't need it anymore but still he felt comforted by the presence of the only gift he had ever been given by the only parent he could still hope loved him, "Daddy…."_

Thomas shook his head with a scowl, trying to banish the memory and the foul taste it left in his mouth. He had long since wished for his mother or father's love, instead choosing to accept the affection his new adoptive, if incompetent, father gave him.

But still, Thomas couldn't help but remember the tired green eyes of his mother and how, on the rarest occasion, they had held a gleam of affection for the boy.

He threw his hands up in the air, "Whellynn, what the hell is there to do in this place that wouldn't mean certain death?"

Whellynn stopped short, startled by the boy in front of him and frowned, thinking, "Well… we have canoeing, the nymphs are nice enough, we have strawberry picking, the Apollo kids have poetry class because frankly they all suck, the Athena kids have a tactical class and…."

Thomas listened intently, making a list of things that sounded at least partially interesting and sighed, "Alright, take me to the docks then I guess…"

Whellynn smirked (Not that Thomas could see but it was evident in his voice), "So giving up on your search?"

"No. I am however, learning where everything is so I can narrow down where the exit is."


	4. Dream

_Thomas frowned at his stuffed toy, Mother screaming at her ex-boyfriend over the phone in the next room. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the noise and felt only slightly comforted by the darkness he found in the back of his lids._

 _He sighed and opened his eyes to look at his toy again, glancing around at the bright, unfamiliar room of Mother's now ex boyfriend's music room, "You know Ally Cat, I wish dad would hurry up and come back cuz then I could leave with him…"_

 _The cat stared back, unblinking and unfeeling and Thomas nodded as if it had offered him sage advice, "I know," He frowned, resting his chin on his knees tiredly, "No one wants me."_

 _He sighed and just sat quietly, eyes shut, enjoying the semi darkness and pretend silence it seemed he could conjure up when he didn't want to listen. It was no secret as to why Martin was breaking up with Mother. He didn't want to put up with the weird kid with his weird habit of staring without seeing, his weird intolerance of bright lights, his stoic personality, his weird stuffed animal. Thomas creeped him out._

 _Thomas didn't mean to._

 _He sighed and sat in silence until finally, Mother opened the door with a scowl, "Come on."_

 _Thomas stood obediently, following her without a word and waving sheepishly at Martin as he left who, surprised, waved back and then ran a frustrated hand through his too long hair, knowing that as much as he had blamed his break up on the kid, it was Mother's fault nothing would work._

 _Mother frowned down at Thomas and scowled, not saying a word and yet making her hatred all too clear for the young boy. He wasted no time running to his room when they arrived home after their long walk in silence in the sunny street of Lower Manhattan._

 _He held Ally Cat close and hummed quietly to himself, trying to keep himself from crying, trying to hold himself together so Mother would not hear. He pet the stuffed animal's head and sobbed silently, "I wish I couldn't see any of it…. I wish… I wish…" He trailed off, not really knowing what he wished and sighed, "I wish I didn't have to see other people happy or man or…"_

 _He sighed again and turned away from Ally Cat, intending to cry himself to sleep where not even his beloved cat could see but was startled when the bed beside him shifted and a strange sound filled the air, like a humming or a purr and when Thomas turned it was to find that Ally Cat had turned into a live and large panther, gazing quietly at the boy who found, strangely, that he was not afraid._

 _The large cat watched him carefully before leaning in and head bumping him, pushing him back with a startled oomph. He watched the cat warily but without fear as it began to purr loudly and rub against him, allowing Thomas to hesitantly reach out to pet it._

 _Without warning though, quite suddenly and without reason, Ally Cat the panther lunged forward and latched her teeth into the small boy's hand and, as he screamed, he watched with a level of amazement and horror as the cat shrunk and returned to its inanimate shape, Mother did not come to his aid, his blood never flowed and, for some reason most disturbingly, he noted, his vision grew dark._

Thomas sat up with a gasp and scowled, refusing to remember any more of the crazy dream he had had that haunted him yearly. He shook his head tiredly and stood up from his cot, managing not to step on anyone and not bothering to grab his walking stick.

Walking slowly, he made his way outside the Hermes cabin and into the camp outside and noticed with a small level of smugness that Whellynn was not there yet, obviously it was still too early for the all too cheerful satre.

He walked with assured steps, not knowing exactly where he was going but knowing wherever it was he'd be alright as often his feet would lead him places in the dark. He never felt worried or angry in the dark.

Not really.

He stretched an arm out instinctively and felt the soft fur of a creature, probably one of the horses or pegasi that he had been introduced to a few days ago. He smirked slightly and rubbed the fur gently before moving on, walking silently.

He walked for what seemed like an hour until his feet no longer led his anywhere, instead growing still and leaving him to decide where or what to do. Thomas sighed, sitting quietly, lost and staring blankly at the space ahead where the sounds escaped with loud snarls and growls.

His feet had carried him to the monstrous woods he had been warned were dangerous for anyone.


	5. Porthol

Thomas stood, simply staring at the darkness for what seemed to him to be ages before anything tore him from his blank, meaningless, thoughtless stare into the woods.

"Thomas! By the gods, you had us worried!" Thomas twitched but didn't bother turning his head to acknowledge Porthol, another son of Hermes who, like Richard, grew angry at the all too frequent waking of Thomas's morning struggle out the door.

Thomas raised a hand slightly in acknowledgment of the son of Hermes who slowed his weary trot in confusion as he looked upon the numb kid before him, "Thomas? You alright man?"

Thomas scoffed through his nose softly and finally turned his eyes to Porthol looking tired though not from lack of sleep, "Yeah, I alright. Mind you, im trapped in a place id rather not be in and all I really want is to just go home but yeah man, im fine."

Porthol cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Well…. You know, you got quite a few people looking for you out there…. In the camp…"

Thomas forced a smile, sensing how uneasy he had just made the Hermes kid, "Sorry. And thanks."

Porthol cleared his throat again and nodded and started to walk slowly away as Thomas followed quietly, picking his steps carefully, having left his walking stick back in the Hermes House. After his fourth nearly hidden stumble, Thomas sighed loudly and stopped walking, "Go on ahead Porthol, ill be there as soon as I can."

Porthol frowned, "Whats wrong?"

Thomas smiled bitterly, "Just the slight inconvenience of not being able to see anything is all."

He heard Porthol curse slightly, as if remembering and a quick bidding to hold still as he went off to retrieve something.

He felt a smoot, cylindrical shape be pushed into his hand and, feeling it he realized it was no so much cylindrical as stafflike in its shape and purpose being tall and thin and seeming to be perfectly suited to his hand.

"What'd you just give me?" He had a feeling he knew it was a staff but he just needed confirmation that such a strange object had just been put into his hand.

Porthol shrugged, "Figured it'd be better than that old branch you carry around, it looks better, suits you better, and is better. I mean, it doesn't technically have any mystical properties I suppose unless someone blesses or curses it for you but its useful. Most staffs are, afterall."

Thomas nodded mutely, touching the wood gently, feeling the markings on it in wonder, unwilling quite yet to admit how mystified hy was by the gift, "Thanks…."

Porthol nodded, "Yeah no big deal honestly, figured ive been a less than hospitable host to you last couple days despite you being the near perfect alarm clock so I owed you. "

Thomas laughed softly again and clutched the staff, "So mess hall is to the east of here right?" He pointed off in a vague direction and Porthol laughed heartily, "Not even close…."

Thomas groaned and allowed a slight smile to cross his face as Porthol quietly guided him along, "So how did you manage to get out there without your stick if its so hard for you anyways?"

Thomas shrugged, "Every once in a while I wake up in the dark just like I do in the day and my feet lead me to places I cant see. Its weird."

Porthol frowned, :I know you don't like taking about these kind of things but… you know there is a completely real possibity that you've already been chosen by your father and didn't know it because you're…"

Thomas shrugged, "Since I still refuse to believe any of you are sane, ill have to pretend like that's the best bet."

He smiled slightly at Porthol who smiled back, knowing Thomas couldn't see. He leaned in a gave Thomas's ring finger a gentle poke, casuing him to jump slightly and frown, not having expected such a thing, "What?"

Porthol grinned, "Its exhausting having to tell you everytime I smile or nod so from now on at least, im going to poke you when im happy. Alright?"

Thomas frowned slightly and shrugged hesitantly, "Its… alright I guess…"

Porthol grinned, "Great. We'll get along famously. Ive a few friends I just know youll love…."

Thomas groaned, realizing suddenly that by allowing the Hermes kid to get close, he may have sealed his fate to being trapped in the camp…


	6. The Shadow

Thomas growled in frustration as he sensed the presence of his least favorite half goat, "Do I have to have an escort every morning or just on mornings you're feeling particularly annoying?"

Whellynn chuckled softly, a yawn breaking through as he trotted slowly beside his grumpy charge, "Well since your little episode the other day Chiron thinks it's best to have someone look out for you, keep you out of trouble."

"Does it have to be you?" Thomas knew he was being rude he just didn't care. He was sick to death of niceties and manners and acting like he was totally ok with being stuck in a camp for the critically insane. Of course, he'd be the first to admit he never really acted ok with it in the first place.

"Hey Whellynn! Where are you taking my alarm clock?" Thomas groaned again as Porthol's voice came from behind his and he heard goat boy laugh from beside him, "Wherever it is he's taking me, I guess."

"Im going to the mess hall."

Porthol gave a hum of approval and fell into step beside the two who began walking again as soon as he caught up, "Am I headed in the right direction this time at least?"

Whellynn opened his mouth to speak (Not that Thomas could see but still) and frowned, brow furrowing slightly (also not that he could see) before nodding appreciatively, "Yeah actually, headed right on course."

Thomas nodded quietly and continued marching on, his new staff clutched tightly in his left hand as he walked, for once without stumbling. He muttered to himself quietly, earning chuckles from the other two as they both walked beside him.

When they finally made it there Thomas grabbed his food and sat at the first table he reached without care or regard to which one it was at, and propping his staff beside him and not bothering to even act like he cared to make a token sacrifice to the "gods" which was still a matter of wonder to most around.

Porthol sat down beside him after having down the sacrifices and explained shortly through a mouth full of breakfast that Whellynn had had to leave. "So hey, if you had to pick a Greek god to be descended from who would you choose?"

Thomas sighed and shrugged noncommittally, "I don't know, you tell me. Who do I best fit Porthol?"

Porthol seemed to drop in to thought whish was what Thomas had been hoping for and didn't speak for a good long while, the only indication of his presence being the sound of him eating. Finally, just when Thomas had begun to think that he had forgotten the question, he spoke, "Hades maybe? Not Apollo…. Im not really getting an Ares feeling thankfully though your temper might be….. I don't know… Might be the son of an obscure god. I'll ask Chiron his opinion later."

Thomas nodded slowly, secretly intrigued despite himself as to whom Chiron would pick as his probable possible, unlikely father. He suddenly felt a little like a contestant on one of those "You are the father!" shows. Not that he knew what those shows were but he had heard them occasionally and hadn't cared much for it.

Porthol poked Thomas's shoulder and after a two second hesitation, Thomas remembered Porthol's promise to poke him when he was smiling, "Admit it. You're starting to get used to the thought that you might have a god for a dad."

He scoffed, "Yeah. Right. Sure Por, totally used to the idea of a complete and total impossibility."

"What the heck are you two doing at my table?" Thomas frowned, unused to others being awake so early when he went to breakfast, "uh….. 'scuse me?"

Porthol cleared his throat nervously, "Uh, hey Nellie. Nellie this is Thomas Henry, Thomas Henry this is Nellie Nelborne. Thomas this is the table for children of Eris…. Goddess of chaos and strife…. Nellie… Thomas is blind and doesn't believe in the gods yet…"

Thomas furrowed his brow, "Aren't you the girl who helped get me into this mess?"

Porthol could be heard to the side quietly begging his father not to let either of them die but the girl was silent for a moment, "You're the guy who came in with Whellynn and the shadow right?"

Thomas let out a short bark of laughter, "Not sure you've realized this yet, Nellie, but everyone has shadows. Im blind and I know that…"

"Oh please Hermes, don't let him die. Please?..."

"Shut up. I know everyone has a shadow, dim wit. I just wasn't aware that people could have shadows that took the form of giant cats. Or that people's shadows could be separated from them at the border and pace on its own."

There was silence. Even Porthol was silent. Thomas closed his eyes tightly, head suddenly hurting and feeling strangely heavy, as if a weight was trying to drag him down beneath the very earth to a depth unknown to the likes of the living, "Well… That is news…"


End file.
